Friends Say Relationship Between Murdered Skinhead And ‘Person of Interest’ Had Been Deteriorating

Related Tags:

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (CBS13) – Friends and family are now speaking out about the arrest of a man described as the best-friend and ‘person of interest’ in the murder of a nationally known white supremacist leader saying their relationship seemed to have been deteriorating in recent weeks.

Police take Charles Demar into custody at gunpoint at about 3:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Police detained 36-year-old Charles Demar, also known as Charles Boots, Wednesday afternoon several hours after David Lynch, 40, was shot and killed in his Citrus Heights home. Lynch’s 33-year-old girlfriend was wounded in the leg and is expected to survive.

Demar was detained at gunpoint on Wednesday afternoon and has been arrested on drug and gang charges, but not for the murder of Lynch. He’s being held on $1M bail.

Late Thursday evening, Hazmat crews were at Demar’s apartment removing chemicals believed to be ingredients for a meth lab.

Demar and Lynch were apparently best friends and had worked together at an asbestos removal company until Demar was fired recently. Representatives with Allied Environmental would not comment about Demar’s dismissal or David Lynch.

‘Person of Interest’ And Murder Victim Were Best Friends

On top of losing his job, Demar’s ex-wife died a few weeks ago from undetermined causes. CBS13 has learned that not only did Lynch help Demar raise money for his ex-wife’s funeral, Lynch was also helping take care of Demar’s two young children.

However, Kristina Hoerfer, the sister of Lynch’s injured girlfriend tells CBS13 exclusively that their relationship had been deteriorating.

“It seems to have been a crazed-former friend that Dave was pushing out of his life because Dave found this individual to be unhealthy,” said Hoerfer. “I think he just snapped.”

Lynch was a well-known power player in the white supremacy movement and has been active for decades, organizing a number of protests across the country.

Local law enforcement officers have known Lynch for years and say his absence will be a blow to many white supremacy groups.

“He’s probably one of the most well-known, influential figures in the movement,” said Sacramento County Sheriff’s Lt. Milo Fitch.

“This is absolutely a significant event… it will send shockwaves.”

Friends and members of various groups said Lynch was capable of bringing together various organizations that were at odds with each other.

“He was the kind of guy who could and did get along with everyone,” said Bill Roper, head of Arkansas-based White Revolution.

Roper said Lynch’s racist activism began in the national skinhead coalition American Front, and he later became leader of the Sacto Skins, one of the oldest skinhead gangs in the country.

It is unlikely the murder was politically motivated, Roper said, but Lynch will likely be lauded as a martyr regardless of the killer’s motive.

Anti-hate groups agreed that Lynch was a powerful figure within his movement. Anti-Defamation League spokesman Dan Sandman said Lynch was a “hardcore hater” who had the ability to unite disparate groups.

“It will be a blow not only to his organization, but also to other organizations who relied on him as a conduit from one group to the next,” Sandman said.